Colosseum restoration starts in 10 days, mayor says

08/07/2013

'Traffic plan to be tested after July 30'

Rome, July 8 - The long-awaited and much-debated
restoration work on Rome's iconic Colosseum should begin within
10 days, Mayor Ignazio Marino said Monday.
The 25-million-euro restoration project is also
controversial because it will be privately financed by Diego
Della Valle, owner of upscale shoe manufacturer Tod's.
As Marino announced the start date for the Colosseum
project, he also said that the city is close to beginning a
project limiting private traffic around the Colosseum and the
Imperial Forums.
The first phase of a trial traffic control plan will begin
July 30, he said.
That will include tougher speed limits on the taxis and
buses permitted in the area along the Via dei Fori Imperiali.
Consumer group Codacons has a long-running legal complaint
that the bidding process on the project lacked transparency and
yielded too many concessions to Della Valle.
The Roman superintendency of archeology already began work
in January to create a safety zone around the ancient Roman
arena to prevent injuries from possible falling materials.
The Colosseum is close to 2,000 years old and feeling its
age.
Begun in 72 AD, the Colosseum, or Flavian Amphitheatre, is
considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and
engineering.
It is 189 meters by 156 meters and covers an area of 24,000
square meters.
Capable of seating 50,000 spectators, it was used for
gladiatorial contests, mock sea battles, executions and
re-enactments of mythological dramas.